Refrigerator car floor rack



Aug. 15, 1939.

v. E. SISSON 2,169,712

REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOOR RACK Filed Oct. 2511937 Patented Aug. 15, 1939 2,169,712 I REFRIGERATOR GAR FLOOR RACK Vinton E. Sisson, Winnetka, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application October 25, 1937, Serial No. 170,742

Claims.

The invention relates to insulated railway refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities, such as vegetables, fruits, berries, meats, eggs, frozen fish, etc., and to maintain such commodities while-in transit within a predetermined range of temperature, thus necessitating the use of a cooling means in the summer and a heating means in the winter. It has been found that perishable commodities which have 1'.) not been allowed to get too cold (freeze) or too hot (bake) have a high market value because they have a longer storage life.

In a refrigerator car water ice is associated with certain elements of the car to establish a convection circulation of air between the refrigerant chamber and the lading compartment to cool the lading in the car (as hereinafter described). A foraminous floor supports the lading in spaced relation to the insulated floor of the car.

It is desirable to allow at least some of the melted ice to remain on the insulated floor of the car below the foraminous floor to produce further insulation between the outside of the car and the air fiues below the foraminous floor and also to further cool the circulating air. The melted ice (water) has a temperature of about 32 Fahrenheit when no salt is used and as low as 4 Fahrenheit when 25% salt is mixed with the lump ice, therefore, it can effectively perform the two above mentioned functions. The service movements of the car, that is, the stopping and starting, as well as the swaying movement, cause the melted ice to be thrown against the foraminous floor supports, bulkhead supports, threshold and other projections and splash through the openings in the foraminous floor and against the lading. In package lading the containers would be soiled and in loose lading 0 such dampness might cause the commodity to rot.

An object of the invention is to position the refrigerant ice so that the melted ice (water) will drain upon the insulated floor below the foraminous floor and to construct the foraminous floor so that the melted ice (water) will not splash through the foraminous floor.

In the drawing:

Figs. 1 and 2 show the relation of my improved floor rack to the other elements of a refrigerator car.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of my improved floor rack.

Fig. 4 shows a detail of part of the foraminous floor of the modification shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 show other modifications of the invention.

In the form of my invention illustrated the refrigerator car is provided with a bulkhead 2 separating the refrigerant chamber 3 from the lading compartment 4. The bulkhead 2 is provided with an aperture 5 adjacent the floor 6 of the car and an aperture 1 adjacent the ceiling 3 of the car with a solid wall 9 therebetween.

A refrigerant is supported by the ice supporting means l2 in the refrigerant chamber 3 in spaced relation to the floor 6 of the car and the basket (or netting) l3 spaces the refrigerant from the end wall l4 and bulkhead 2 to provide the fines lE-I'l. The apertured floor rack supports the lading so as to provide the space 20 which communicates with the fines l6l'l. A refrigerant, such as ice in the refrigerant chamber,induces a convection circulation of air from the flues l6ll, through the flue space 20 and the apertures 2| in the floor rack, and as the air is warmed by the lading, it rises and passes through the bulkhead upper opening 1 and thence through the fines iii-l1, and being cooled by the refrigerant, repeats the convection cycle;

In the form of my invention illustrated the foraminous floor comprises a metallic plate formed with a plurality of portions 30 in an upper plane alternating with portions 3| in a spaced apart lower plane connected by webs 32. The foraminous floor is supported in spaced relation to the insulated floor 6 of the car bya plurality of spaced stringers 35. The stringers may be substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the circulating air, or may be at right angles thereto, in which case they should be of openwork construction, such as is obtained by providing apertures 36 in the web of a channel shaped stringer 35.

The webs are provided with apertures l8 for movement of air through the foraminous floor, which apertures are provided with means to prevent the service movements of the car from splashing melted ice through the apertures and upon the lading.

Fig. 4 shows the webs provided with louvers for the above mentioned purpose having the upper portions 38 thereof downwardly inclined and projecting into the spaces over the portions 3| in the lower plane. The louvers may be partially cut away (39) to increase the opening for air movement. The louvers are preferably provided with end shields 40.

Fig. 5 shows the louvers 42 upwardly inclined into the spaces below the portions 30 in the upper plane. v

Fig. 6 shows a pair of louvers 45 projecting in opposite directions from the webs and formed with shields 46-41.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a metallic plate formed with portions in an upper plane alternating with portions in a lower plane comiected by webs, said Webs being provided with upwardly inclined louvers projecting into the spaces below the portions in the upper plane whereby the service movements of the car will not cause the melted ice to splash through the foraminous floor.

2. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a metallic plate formed with portions in an upper plane alternating with portions in a lower plane connected by webs, said webs being provided with downwardly inclined louvers projecting into the spaces above the portions in the lower plane whereby the service movements of the car will not cause the melted ice to splash through the foraminous floor.

3. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a metallic plate formed with portions in an upper plane alternating with portions in a lower plane connected by webs, said webs being provided with louvers having the upper portions thereof projecting into the spaces above the portions in the lower plane and having the lower portions thereof projecting into the spaces below the portions in the upper plane whereby the service movements of the car will not cause the melted ice to splash through the foraminous floor.

4. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a metallic plate formed with portions in an upper plane alternating with portions in a lower plane connected by webs, said webs being provided with louvers so arranged and positioned as to prevent the service movements of the car from splashing the melted ice through the foraminous floor.

5. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a thin metallic plate formed with portions in an upper plane alternating with portions in a lower plane connected by webs, said webs being provided with apertures for movement of said air current therethrough, said apertures provided with means to prevent the service movements of the car from splashing the melted ice through the apertures,

VINTON E. SISSON. 

